Behind closed doors at Lions training camp, in a meeting of coaches and assistants, Duce Staley made his mission for his budding star running back abundantly clear.
“I need (D’Andre) Swift to believe he’s the best every time he steps on the f—king field,” Staley says in Tuesday’s second episode of “Hard Knocks,” which goes behind the scenes with the Lions at training camp. “I need to know when he’s one-on-one — no matter if he’s running a route or has the ball in his hands — no one can guard him or tackle him. … He’s got it. It’s in there. (That) boy’s special. And every day we get out there in between those lines, he’s gotta believe that. I’m gonna try my hardest to get that sh-t out of him. Ain’t no try — I’m a f—king get it out of him.”
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Swift is Detroit’s most feared offensive skill player. Entering his third season in the NFL, Staley would love nothing more than for Swift to take the next step in his development and become a bona-fide star in the league. If it comes to fruition, the Lions as a whole will be better for it. And Staley knows it.
Staley has never been shy about pushing Swift. He’s constantly in his face at practice. He challenges him in each drill, and wants the other backs to give him everything they’ve got. That’s the standard Staley has set. But it’s all in the effort to get the best out of Swift, because Staley knows what he has in his young running back.
Breakout season loading for @DAndreSwift? #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/jfdncojTWs
— NFL (@NFL) August 17, 2022
During a running backs meeting, Staley pulls up one of Swift’s outside runs from practice, in which he’s tackled by safety DeShon Elliott in the red zone. Staley tries to explain to Swift that he could’ve gotten a few more yards, or perhaps even scored, by simply throwing a stiff arm. Swift made it too easy for a defense that already fears him. He needs to be hungry for every yard. It’s the little things.
That’s how this staff has been coaching Swift up. Staley doesn’t want any meat left on the bones. And Swift shouldn’t, either.
During the preseason opener versus the Falcons, we see this continue. Staley gets on Swift for bouncing a run outside instead of cutting inside where the hole was. The coaching staff immediately subs out Swift for a conversation, inserting backup Jamaal Williams. On the sideline, Staley tells Swift he would’ve scored had he followed the script. They review the play together and Swift appears to realize his mistake. He accepts the coaching, with little argument.
His next play? An inside run, good for a gain of 7 yards.
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“That’s what I’m talking about!” Staley yells from the sideline.
This is part of the process with Swift. He has all the talent he needs to become the player Staley believes he can be. A strong offensive line. A staff that wants him to be great and a clear opportunity as the lead back.
If it all comes together this year, we’ll know why.
More from “Hard Knocks,” episode two:
Meet the St. Browns
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit’s second-year wide receiver, broke franchise records for receiving yards and receptions by a rookie. He was one of the top wide receivers in the league during the final five games of the 2021 season, etching his name as a building block on this young Lions team. And yet, he still hasn’t forgotten those who passed on him coming out of USC.
“For me,” St. Brown says, “I would say the draft experience was sh*tty.”
During a sit-down interview, St. Brown boasts about being able to name all 16 receivers — and schools they attended — who were drafted ahead of him. Then, he proceeds to do it, right then and there, from memory. Their loss was Detroit’s gain, as the Lions scooped him up in the fourth round.
This is a good snapshot of St. Brown. He takes those perceived slights and uses them to fuel his drive. There’s a chip on his shoulder that weighs more than his father — John Brown, a two-time Mr. Universe winner — can probably lift.
That family dynamic was a key theme in this episode. We got to see a workout led by John Brown himself. He discussed the work ethic he instilled in his children at a young age, and how it helped them star in football.
Casual 202 reps 🏈@amonra_stbrown | #HardKnocks pic.twitter.com/u8HJKjm250
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) August 17, 2022
Growing up playing in a youth league, St. Brown and his father came across a wide receiver, around the same age as Amon-Ra, who had great hands. John Brown asked the receiver’s father what methods they used to perfect those hands. After practice, the receiver would catch 200 passes on the Jugs machine. John Brown and his son decided to do the same — except St. Brown caught 202, just for good measure. To this day, you can see him out there, usually shirtless, catching all 202 after practice.
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Later in the episode, we see John Brown watching in the stands as the Lions take on the Falcons in the preseason opener. It was a good time to have a camera crew following him around, considering his son had a pretty good day in limited action. St. Brown caught two passes for 29 yards, helping to set up a Swift touchdown run on the starting offense’s lone drive together.
A solid performance, from a second-year player who wants more.
“That chip on my shoulder that I still have comes from that day,” St. Brown says.
That much is clear.
All aboard the Rodrigo hype train
After showing off Malcolm Rodriguez’s dance moves last week, the “Hard Knocks” crew decided it was time to show Rodriguez’s on-field talent. Detroit’s 2022 sixth-round pick, nicknamed “Rodrigo,” has been the talk of the team. He’s a hard hitter with a wrestling background. His key-and-diagnose skills are impressive for his age. Tuesday, we saw the coaching staff raving about him behind closed doors. It backed up everything we’ve seen and then some.
At one point, the cameras went inside the linebacker meeting room. There, linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard reviewed practice film with his players. In the meeting, Sheppard singled out Rodriguez — showing his rookie some well-deserved love, while also using the time to send a message to the rest of his linebackers.
“Watch Rodriguez. Watch Rodriguez,” Sheppard says to his room. “I’m f—king sick of saying this about a rookie. What do y’all want me to do? Put him out there first? ‘Cause that’s what’s about to happen. This ain’t nothing against you, Rodriguez. Matter of fact — you’re f—king playing your ass off, dude. But it’s a rookie, who I’m doing everything I can not to put out here first. I’m sick of f—king saying it.”
The Lions linebacker room is still very much a work in progress. Alex Anzalone has one of the starting jobs locked up, but he’s on a one-year deal. Free-agent addition Chris Board is learning the defense, competing for a starting job. Derrick Barnes was a fourth-round draft pick in 2021 who has yet to turn the corner.
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Playing time is up for grabs. Long-term spots have not been secure. And Rodriguez, despite his draft position, will have every opportunity to seize this job in due time.
Perhaps sooner than we think.
“There ain’t much you can’t do on the field,” Sheppard tells Rodriguez during the episode. “I’m telling you right now, this year can be whatever you want it to be. Everything’s open for you right now. You got me? You just gotta go take it and do it.”
Key moments from the preseason opener
As last week’s episode noted, Campbell’s staff is comprised of many former players who’ve seen it all. Because of that, they place a high emphasis on these preseason games, hoping to see their guys rise to the occasion under the lights to determine who they can rely on when the season begins.
Detroit’s starting offensive line looked as advertised Friday in its first preseason game against the Falcons.
“That’s what I’m talking about,” Campbell says, high-fiving his line. “F—cking hell of a drive. That’s what I’m talking about. That’s how you f—cking go, man.”
The coaching staff also had to feel good about Aidan Hutchinson’s preseason debut. The No. 2 pick chased down Marcus Mariota and knocked him out of bounds on his first play, and followed that up by tossing Jake Matthews to the side for a tackle for loss on his second play. The “Hard Knocks” crew had eyes on Hutchinson’s family, sitting together to watch the rookie’s first taste of game action. He gave them something to cheer about.
The No. 2 pick making his presence known early 😤 @aidanhutch97
📺: #ATLvsDET on @NFLNetwork (check local listings)
📱: Stream on NFL+https://t.co/J4YYZSADjC pic.twitter.com/Sf3YjLIJjl— NFL (@NFL) August 12, 2022
But, of course, the game didn’t end the way Campbell and his staff wanted.
Late in the fourth quarter, with David Blough in at quarterback, the Lions were trying to hold on to their lead and go home with a win. Blough was highlighted earlier in the episode. His wife, Melissa Gonzalez, is an Olympic hurdler who competed in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, representing Colombia. As athletes, Blough and Gonzalez can relate to the highs and lows of sport. The episode showed a video of Blough cheering on Gonzalez during her Olympic run last summer, and in turn, Gonzalez cheering on Blough at the Lions’ preseason opener.
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Unfortunately for Blough, a late-game fumble proved costly, paving the way for a Falcons comeback and a Lions loss.
It’s just the preseason, sure, but Campbell saw firsthand in Year 1 how mistakes could lead to maddening losses amid a 3-13-1 season.
“Look, that’s frustrating,” Campbell says. “It’s frustrating because you want to win that game. We should’ve won that game, but we didn’t earn it. You guys know that. We didn’t earn it. …You’re gonna see, this is this league, man. When things don’t go right, it’s probably your own fault. It’s probably our own fault, right? …That’s the little stuff in this league that will bite you in the ass. It is and it always will be.”
This is what Campbell’s hoping to work out of his team, heading into his second season. The good news: He has a few more weeks to do so.
(Photo: Raj Mehta / USA Today)
Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy
